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I want to see the expensive F-35B Lightning II that UK is buying in action.
US Marines are flying them now. They were the driving force behind that model, the Air Force and Navy are buying more conventional versions.
Russia's army could walk through Europe
It always makes me wonder when people say this, its like a 200 million Germans, Poles and assorted Eastern Europeans (not famed for there liking of the Russians due to recent history) would just stand back and let them in?
some very interesting opinions here. 😆
I'd love to correct a load of you but unfortunately I can't (being actual serving military means there are certain things you can't says and I'm hoping some of you are not serving!!!)
Well, we did have the Fairey Gannet, an extraordinarily capable ASW/AEW aircraft, with superb loiter capabilities when one engine was shut down, but they were scrapped by Tony Benn.
Shortly after, we had the Falklands conflict, and had to cobble together a radar bolted to the side of a Sea King helicopter.
Genius move, Tony
Not entirely fair, for the Gannet required a catapult to launch from a carrier, the last of our catapult carriers was retired in 1978 because it was basically knackered. The three "carriers" that replaced Ark Royal carried neither catapults nor arrester gear, so the only aircraft capable of using them would be VTOL/VSTOL, hence the Sea Harrier and helicopters.
Our two new Queen Elizabeth carriers also have no catapults or arrester gear, so we'll have the same problem of how we facilitate beyond the horizon radar and sensor coverage.
The reasons why our new carriers don't have catapults and arrester gear - despite being designed with fitment of them in mind - are maddening. Apparently British Aerospace were looking at refitting both our carriers prior to them being commissioned and the costs rapidly escalated. One of the reasons for this was that BAe were concerned that the government would cancel the order for F-35s and instead order F-18Es or French Rafale Ms, either of which would be substantially cheaper and would carry more ordinance than the F-35B or C variants.
5 pages of waffle based on a ship sailing through the worlds busiest shipping lane.
Craaaaaaazy times
The russian navy and the SNP both fly the Saltire (St. Andrew's cross).
Makes you think......
scandal42 - Member5 pages of waffle based on a ship sailing through the worlds busiest shipping lane.
Craaaaaaazy times
If you think that's bad, have a look at the Macan thread
we'll have the same problem of how we facilitate beyond the horizon radar and sensor coverage.
UAVs will have that covered off in no time and with loitering times well beyond previous rotary or fixed wing aircraft
It always makes me wonder when people say this, its like a 200 million Germans, Poles and assorted Eastern Europeans (not famed for there liking of the Russians due to recent history) would just stand back and let them in?
Do you understand how warfare works?
@wilbert "We're just not governed by a mobster with a small penis."
Putin will now already have a copy of this on his desk. The fact you are reading this is the delay in finding your address due to our piss poor BT broadband, however they are coming. A cup of radio active?
Why did the UK and all the other countries on route just ignore the the rust buckets as they sailed by? Nothing upsets a bully than being ignored.
Why did the UK and all the other countries on route just ignore the the rust buckets as they sailed by?
errr cos we're all mates?
It was a viciously sharp slice of mango, wasn't it, sir.
So the two Russian corvettes that sailed north from Portugal to "meet and escort" the aircraft-carrier convoy appear to have [i]accidently[/i] ended up in the Baltic, using the convoy as cover.
So now Russia have two nuclear-missile-equipped ships sitting just off the Baltic states.
http://uatoday.tv/press/is-russia-shipping-nuclear-capable-cruise-missiles-to-the-baltic-792664.html
Also reported in today's Times but that's behind a paywall.
Russian MIG from the carrier has crashed into the Med. It seems the pilots have very little aircraft carrier experience as the old tub doesn't set sail very often.
or it had a technical issue as reported
Sky only speaking of a lack of flying practice although clearly a tech fault is very possible/likely.
Fair enough, technical here: http://news.sky.com/story/pilot-ejects-as-mig-29-fighter-jet-crashes-into-mediterranean-sea-10657716